FMC calls to drop sections of Bill

The Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand (FMC) have called for three sections of a controversial conservation bill to be dropped entirely.

FMC president Allan Brent told the Wānaka Sun the Conservation Amendment Bill, which includes changes to allow easier sale of conservation land, represented the biggest change in conservation land in at least 40 years.

"This Bill would change at the heart of what and who conservation land is for, this Bill could make things much more about private gain.

"These are things that we want to decide together as a country, but the short story is that pieces of land would be up for disposal, someone could buy them," he said.

The Bill passed its first reading at Parliament last month.

It aims to simplify the management of the conservation estate, allows for levies to be charged for access and gives the Conservation Minister more power to "exchange or dispose" of conservation land.

National parks, wilderness areas, ecological areas and sanctuary areas, nature reserves, scientific reserves, marine reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and two named scenic reserves (Kaikoura Island and Rakitu Island) are exempt from sale, but all other conservation land is eligible.

Mr Brent said he urged people to find out more, talk to local MPs and make a submission on the Bill.

Under the proposed Bill areas in the Upper Clutha such as Diamond Lake, Pisa Ranges and Mt Roy could be impacted, he said.

Mr Brent said the Bill could allow for someone to try make access restricted to the Instagram point on Mt Roy.

"It’s a crazy thought but these are the kinds of things that the Bill makes possible."

A statement from FMC earlier this month said the group was urging the Environment Select Committee to remove the new economic development purpose from the Bill, restore the New Zealand Conservation Authority’s approval role, require recreational values to be considered before any conservation land could be disposed of, and to restore the disposal threshold to land with no or very low conservation value.

The proposed changes in the government’s Conservation Amendment Bill affect up to 60% of current conservation land.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the Bill recognised "conservation and economic development do not sit in opposition to one another all the time".

Submissions on the Bill close July 2. — Additional reporting RNZ

evie.sinclair@alliedmedia.co.nz